our crossed paths | jww.

twenty eight.

It was an exhausting day at the hospital. Jiwoo stood at the foot of the bed, her chest rising and falling with each heavy breath after having just brought a patient back from the brink of death. The adrenaline still coursed through her veins as she caught her breath, the beeping of the heart monitor steady now. The patient was stable, but Jiwoo's hands were shaking, her arms sore from performing the CPR.

She wiped her forehead, smearing the sheen of sweat.

Just as she turned to head to the sink, she felt a familiar weight of presence watching her from the door.

She froze for a moment, knowing who it was before even looking.

Slowly, she glanced up.

'What is he doing here...?'

Standing in the doorway was her father, Dr. Kang Jinseo.

He was no longer actively practicing medicine but was a significant shareholder of the very hospital she worked at.

His piercing gaze took in the scene before him, his posture as rigid and controlled as always.

Jiwoo's heart clenched at the sight of him. He hadn't visited her at work in years, despite their shared connection to the medical field.

A strange mix of emotions bubbled up inside her—part surprise, part anxiety. His rare appearances at the hospital always felt like judgments rather than moments of support.

He walked into the room, eyes trained on her.

Without so much as a greeting, his first words were critical. "Your form was off. You should have applied more force during CPR. And your arms... you were pressing at the wrong angle."

Jiwoo felt a flare of irritation rise within her, the praise she had half-hoped for quickly squashed.

 "I saved the patient, didn't I?" she shot back, trying to keep her voice steady despite the mix of exhaustion and frustration swirling in her chest.

Her father's eyes narrowed slightly at her retort.

"That's not the point. Just because you saved them doesn't mean it couldn't have been done better."

Jiwoo clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to argue further. It was always like this with him—everything she did, no matter the outcome, was met with criticism.

He had rarely shown her warmth or pride, and every interaction seemed like a test she was destined to fail.

Dr. Kang looked like he was about to continue, his eyes flashing with a familiar sternness, but then he seemed to remember why he was there.

His expression softened, if only slightly. "I had a meeting at the hospital," he began, his voice measured, "and thought I'd stop by to see how you were doing."

The words hung in the air between them. Jiwoo almost laughed at the irony.

For a brief moment, she felt a glimmer of something close to happiness.

Was he actually paying attention to her work? Had he come to see her perform as a doctor?

But just as quickly as the thought surfaced, another darker one followed.

He wasn't here to support her, she realized bitterly.

He was here to judge.

To remind her of his standards, of the expectations he had imposed on her since she was a child.

"I'm fine," Jiwoo replied curtly, glancing back at the patient who was now being wheeled out of the room by the nursing staff.

Her father didn't acknowledge her tone. He straightened his suit jacket, the formality of his movements reminding her of the rigidity of their relationship. "This weekend," he said, "you'll need to come back to the family home."